Sorry For: Standard Pattern
Sorry For: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “sorry for” in documented contexts such as expressing sympathy for someone or regret/apology for a thing or consequence.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Intended relation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| sympathy directed toward a person | sorry for + person | Use the documented “for” construction. |
| regret or apology concerning a thing, result, or consequence | sorry for + noun phrase | Use “for” when it introduces what is regretted or apologized for. |
| a meaning that calls for another documented complement | sorry about / sorry to / another fitting construction | Do not treat “for” as the only complement available after “sorry.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does “for” introduce the person receiving sympathy or the thing/consequence being regretted?
If yes: “Sorry for” is a documented construction for that relation.
If no: Choose the complement that matches the intended meaning rather than forcing “for.”
Caveat: Cambridge also documents other complements with “sorry,” including “about” and “to”; this page records an attested pattern, not an exclusive rule.
Examples
I felt sorry for the stranded traveler.
“For” introduces the person toward whom sympathy is directed.
We are sorry for the delay.
“For” introduces the thing or consequence being regretted.
She was sorry for the confusion.
The construction links “sorry” to the situation being regretted without implying that “for” is the only possible complement in every sense.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “sorry for” in documented contexts such as expressing sympathy for someone or regret/apology for a thing or consequence.
Style Boundary
Cambridge also documents “sorry about” and “sorry to”; the intended meaning and complement determine the construction, so this page does not treat “for” as the only complement after “sorry.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Sorry (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct learner-dictionary evidence for sorry about + noun/event and sorry + to-infinitive.